


pretective boy

by voxaphone



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, half life but the ai is self aware
Genre: Gen, coomer is a concerned boyfriend, fuckers put me in my tube cant have shit in black mesa, im bad at tags still so whatever, young peepaws
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:09:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25102192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voxaphone/pseuds/voxaphone
Summary: coomer finds bubby sleeping in his tube and panics, a normal reaction when you see your coworker/crush in a Tube if i may be frankwritten as a prompt but my friends liked it so im publishing it here <3
Relationships: Bubby/Dr. Coomer (Half-Life)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 138





	pretective boy

**Author's Note:**

> the prompt was "thank you" vs. "i'm sorry" and i picked "i'm sorry" for some not really angsty but still kinda sweet boomer moments <3  
> this is the second fic ive ever really finished so the endings kinda rushed imo but im getting used to actually Finishing my work! progress!
> 
> catch me at tumblr jerlot even tho the tumblr update makes it so i mainly reblog instead of post now lol
> 
> title is from a song with the same name by skating polly not really relevant to this fic i just couldnt think of a fic title and the song is cute so! take a listen skating polly is underrated

Bubby didn’t want Coomer to find out about his status as a Black Mesa Experiment at all, if he was to be perfectly frank. But in all the scenarios he imagined, he definitely didn’t want Coomer to find out by seeing him in his tube, floating in glowing perflurocarbon like something out of a cheap sci-fi horror movie.

He didn’t tell Coomer anything about his “home” life outside of the lab; he literally couldn’t, thanks to those pesky implants. He had no clue what the man could’ve thought when he saw him hooked up to Lord knows how many tubes, trying to take a nap in the uncomfortable situation. Clearly, he thought Bubby was in enough distress that in his panic to find the button to drain the tube and release his (slightly mean) lab partner, he punched the tube instead. Hard enough to shatter the shatterproof plexiglass, and therefore drain the tube in an unorthodox way, waking Bubby up and almost sending _him_ into a panic.

“Doctor Bubby!” Coomer almost shouted, and Bubby’s panic turned into pure confusion. The sudden shift from perflurocarbon was annoying and painful, as it always was, and the man in the tube had to remove the tubes in his mouth before going into a coughing fit, placing a hand on the glass and pounding his seemingly-fragile chest. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know it would break like that—I just saw you there, and—! Well, my emotions got the better of me, it seems.”

Bubby wheezed and finally looked up, almost jumping back when he saw Coomer was right in front of him, his hand placed on the other side of the glass where Bubby was resting his. Even without his glasses and his shit eyesight at only 35, he could see the worry etched on the other scientist’s face.

“You—first off,” Bubby said, voice hoarse. “You _broke_ the tube? That’s… fucking impressive, actually, holy shit. Second off, what are you _doing_ here? Hazardous Materials is—well, I’ve no fucking clue, but it’s no where near Biological Research!”

Coomer rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, obviously flattered by Bubby pointing out his strength, but still nervous. “Well, I heard a rumor that this is where you worked when you weren’t helping me with the labs—and I thought you were pushing yourself to work without any sleep at all again!”

Bubby internally groaned. You try to go three days working straight, and he never lets you live it down? Coomer continued, “I was coming down here to drag you back to your dorm for some rest if necessary, and I just—found you in this… tube! Bubby, what are they _doing_ to you?”

“I was asleep, actually.” Bubby stated rather dryly. “This is...well, where I live. I don’t have a dorm. I’m a—test subject.”

He nervously looked at Coomer’s face, trying to parse any form of emotion that he could make out. He was expecting some form of disgust, maybe horror or something of the sort, but he only continued to look worried, but now also determined. He moved his hand off of the glass to rest on his face, stroking his graying mustache in thought.

He’s going to ask a question, Bubby thought, knowing his lab partner’s mannerisms well. It was only natural after working together for a few years. Maybe _Are you human?_ Or _What kind of tests were they doing on you?_

“How do I get you out?” He finally asked. Bubby was stunned at the care evident in his voice. Dumbly, he motioned to the button on the panel across from the tube, large and red and surrounded by yellow and black caution stripes.

Coomer flushed in embarrassment in a way Bubby found almost adorable. He went over to press the button immediately, and the tube, instead of slowly retracting into the floor as it usually did, burst into shards of glass around the lab. It seems Coomer’s punch did more damage either of them expected.

“Well, I freed you!” Coomer stated cheerfully. “I’ll have a word with these _scientists_ in the morning, when they come in, but for now Doctor Bubby, I think we should retire to my dorm!”

Bubby took one look at the glass shards sticking out of the green liquid, and then at his bare feet. Mentally he thanked whatever God there was that he was at least wearing a hospital gown, as soaking wet as it may be. Then he looked at Coomer, who seemed to get why Bubby was hesitating.

In two quick steps he was back over to the tube, and before Bubby could object Coomer literally swept him off his feet, earning a very undignified squawk from the man. He tried his damnedest not to blush while Coomer carried him out like a damsel in distress, but failed miserably.

At least now he could have one night where he slept like a normal person at Black Mesa, in a dorm room, in an actual bed. In all the scenarios post-Coomer discovering his test subject status, this also wasn't one he expected.


End file.
